Railroad shippable boiler

ABSTRACT

A shop assembled steam generator is modified for railroad shipment by Schnabel car. The steam generator is provided with structural appendages that enable the unit to be directly connected between the wheeled Schnabel elements whereby the components of the steam generator serve as structural parts of the railroad car without the need for ancillary support structure.

United States Patent Bisbee et al.

[451 Oct. 15, 1974 RAILROAD SHIPPABLE BOILER I 3,272,186 9/1966 Loren zini 122/336 1 Charles Bisbee, East Granby: Albert 333332 771333 Z322;::::i::i:1...........:1::3::1::: 132???? Girard Story, Bloomfield; Cesar Juan Servici, East Hartford, all of Conn Primary Examiner-Kenneth W. Sprague Assistant Examiner-Larry I. Schwartz Asslgneei Combustlon Engmeel'lng, Attorney, Agent, or Firm-John F. Carney Windsor, Conn.

[22] Filed: Nov. 9, 1973 [57] ABSTRACT [21] Appl. No.: 414,487

A shop assembled steam generator is modified for railroad shipment by Schnabel car. The steam generator Cl 122/336 105/367 is provided with structural appendages that enable the [51] [I ll- Cl. Y. F22) 37/24 it t b directly connected between the wheeled [58] Fleld 0f Search 122/235, 510; 105/367, S hnab l lements whereby the components of the 105/368 B, 368 S steam generator serve as structural parts of the railroad car without the need for ancillary support struc- [56] References Cited tum UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,636,484 4 1953 Bailey et al. 122 235 R 6 Clams 5 D'awmg F'gures 40 IO t t I? 17 l g PATENTED W 1 5 3.841 .1275 saw 30F 24 FIG. 4

RAILROAD SHIPPABLE BOILER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to steam generators of the type known as package boilers which are preassembled in a shop and thereafter transported for installation at the plant site. Large capacity package boilers have a distinct advantage over field erected boilers of comparable capacity in the savings that can be realized by constructing the apparatus in the shop. In addition to the reduction in costs attributable to the time and manpower saved in eliminating the assembly of component parts and their erection in the field, further benefits are derived in the fact that the fabricating procedures can be performed in the shop under more ideal conditions thereby enhancing the structural integrity of the finished product.

A significant disadvantage of package boilers, however, is that their capacity is limited by the size of the load that can be carried by conventional railroadequipment. These limitations are imposed by the load carrying capability of the form of rolling stock utilized and by'railroad clearances encountered along the transit route. In recent years, however, there has been developed a form of railroad rolling stock known as Schnabel cars. These cars, which are useful in transporting large, heavy, single unit loads, comprise two separate wheeled body portions between which the load is attached in such a way as to become a structural part of the car. The ability to mount the load to be transported in this manner permits the load to be carried closer to the rails and thereby enables loads of greater size and weight to be shipped by railroad.

The present invention is therefore directed towards providing package boilers of heretofore known design with means to permit their transport by Schnabel car.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention a package boiler of generally conventional form is provided with means to permit it to be conveniently transported by Schnabel car. The package boiler, whose walls are defined by rows of parallel fluid conducting tubes, includes an upper drum and a pair of lower drums which connect the tubes in fluid circulation. The respective drums are disposed in parallel relation and extend longitudinally of the unit casing with their opposite ends disposed adjacent the superstructures on the wheeled elements that define the Schnabel car. The lower drums are pin connected to the superstructures such that they serve as structural parts of the railroad car that are loaded in tension. The opposite ends of the upper drum are provided with abutment plates of particular design that are in bearing engagement with the upper portions of the Schnabel car superstructures enabling the upper drum to serve as a compression member in the rail car assembly.

It is therefore a principle object of the present invention to provide a shop assembled package boiler that can be suspended securely between the elements of a Schnabel car to permit railroad shipment thereof.

It is a further object of the invention to modify large capacity shop assembled package boilers for railroad shipment by Schnabel car to permit their transport overland to more extensive geographic locations.

A still further object of the invention is to enable the railroad shipment of shop assembled package boilers of increased vertical and longitudinal dimensions.

For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and other objects obtained by its use, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and description that relate to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a package boiler of the present invention installed for railroad shipment on a Schnabel car;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view, partly in section, of the package boiler illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the package boiler of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a partial top view of one end of the package boiler of FIG. 1 and the adjacent Schnabel element; and

FIG. 5 is a view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT.

Referring now to the drawings there is shown a somewhat schematic representation of a shop assembled package boiler 10 installed between the elements 12 and 14 of a Schnabel car for railroad shipment. Schnabel cars are a known form of railroad equipment consisting, in general, of a pair of separated wheeled elements that are adapted to attach the opposite ends of the load to be carried out in which the load interconnects the two elements and otherwise serves as a structural part of the car assembly. As the Schnabel elements described herein do not form an integral part of the present invention, only so much will be discussed as is necessary for a complete understanding of the invention. A more detailed description of Schnabel cars of the type intended for use with the invention can be obtained from reference to US. Pat. No. 3,532,061.

In general, each of the Schnabel elements 12 and 14 partially illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawing comprise wheeled trucks 16 adapted to mount articulated superstructures 17 including upstanding, laterally spaced arms 18 and 20 that are reinforced in the lateral direction by spacer struts 23. A hearing structure 22 traverses the upper portion of the space between the two arms and contains a vertically disposed face plate 24 and a rear plate 26 parallelly spaced therefrom. A plurality of horizontal support ribs 28 extend between and interconnect the plates 24 and 26 to stiffen the structure and to distribute the loads imposed thereon. At their lower ends each of the arms 18 and 20 is provided with a yolk member 30 containing openings 32 for reception of a connecting pin 34 to effect the connection of the boiler 10 as hereinafter described.

The shop assembled boiler 10 illustrated herein is essentially of a well known package boiler configuration, commonly referred to as an A-boiler. It comprises an elongated furnace chamber defined by a pair of parallel, horizontally disposed lower drums 36 and 38 and an upper drum 40 spaced above and substantially centrally of the two lower drums. The lower drums 36 and 38 are of relatively small diameter having their ends closed by planar end caps 42. The upper drum 40, on the other hand, comprises an enlarged cylindrical shell 44 whose ends are closed by substantially ellipsoidal covers 46. Plural rows of generally upstanding, parallel tubes 48 connect the drums in fluid circulation while defining the side walls 50 and 52 of the unit. The rear wall 54 of the boiler and the front wall 56 are formed of refractory material and steel plates, or the like, and the front wall 56 contains an opening 58 for reception of a fuel burner.

In the illustrated form of package boiler the tubes, indicated as 48, in the outer row lining each of the side walls 50 and 52 are united in side-by-side relation by spacer fins 60 which are welded between adjacent tubes. By means of this well know form of boiler construction the walls of the unit are rendered substantially gas impervious as well as enhancing the structural rigidity of the unit. The remaining rows of tubes 48 may consist of tubes that are disposed on tangent spacing or in laterally spaced relation with respect to each other. The exterior of boiler 10 is enclosed by a sheet material casing 62 with the space between it and the tubular walls being filled by appropriate heat insulating material 64.

According to the present invention means are provided to enable component elements of the shop assembled boiler 10 to serve as structural parts of the railroad car used in transporting the boiler to a plant site. Such means include tension lugs 66 for attaching the ends of the lower drums 36 and 38 to the Schnabel elements l2 and 14 in such a way that the lower drums serve as tension members in the railroad car assembly. Also, abutment plates 70 disposed at opposite ends of the upper drum 40 cooperate with the Schnabel element superstructure to enable the upper drum to accommodate compressive loadings on the assembly.

As shown, the tension lugs 66 comprise planar members that are weldedly connected in a vertical attitude to the end caps 42 that close the opposite ends of the lower drums 36 and 38 respectively. Openings 68 are provided in the lugs 66 to accommodate reception of connecting pins 34 which serve to attach the boiler to the respective Schnabel elements 12 and 14 as hereinafter described.

The abutment plates 70 are weldedly secured, as at 72, along their rear end edges to the external surfaces of the upper drum end covers 46. The plates 70 are formed of heavy sheet material having a full width dimension along their rear end edges and a reduced dimension, as shown best in FIG. 4, along their hearing edges 74. The abutment plates 70 are bent to a radius that conforms substantially to the radius of curvature of the wall of the upper drum shell 44. To enhance the compressive load carrying capability of the arrangement, the plates 70 are preferably disposed, as shown in FIG. 2, in longitudinal alignment with the shell wall whereby compressive loadings will be transferred from the abutment plates directly to the vessel shell.

in assembling the boiler 10 to the Schnabel car elements 12 and 14 the latter members are mutually spaced with the bearing surface provided by face plates 24 on the respective elements disposed in facing relation. The boiler 10 is moved into position with the lugs 66 on opposite ends of the lower drums 36 and 38 placed in interleafed relation between the yolk members 30 on the Schnabel car elements. The holes 32 and 68 on the respective members are brought into alignment with one another and the connecting pins 34 in serted therethrough to connect the Schnabel car element to the corresponding end of the boiler. The opposite end of the boiler and its corresponding Schnabel element are similarly connected. With the boiler soconnected the bearing edges 74 on the abutment plates are disposed in engagement with the face plates 24 on each Schnabel car superstructure 17. Thus, by means of the arrangement, the lower drums 36 and 38 are made to accommodate the tension loadings developed between the Schnabel car elements while the compressive loadings are taken by the upper drum 40.

It will be appreciated that by means of the present invention shop assembled boilers having greater height and length dimensions can be conveniently shipped by railroad since the boiler loads are carried lower with respect to the roadbed and there is no longitudinal railcar framework surrounding the boiler as in the case of transport by conventional railroad cars. This enables higher capacity shop assembled boilers to be shipped overland by rail to move geographic locations.

While the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described herein, it should be understood that the description is merely illustrative and that variations and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as recited in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a Schnabel-type vehicle having separate, opposing wheeled bolsters and structural means upstanding from each of said bolsters for attaching a load therebetween and a vapor generator operably connected for road shipment between said structural means, said vapor generator comprising:

a. an upper drum extending longitudinally between said Schnabel car structural means;

b. at least one lower drum vertically spaced from said upper drum and extending longitudinally between said Schnabel car structural means;

c. a plurality of parallel tubes interconnecting said upper drum and said lower drum defining a substantially closed furnace cavity;

d. means forming a tensile connection between the ends of said lower drum and the adjacent Schnabel car structural means; and

e. means forming a compressive engagement between the ends of said upper drum and the adjacent Schnabel car structural means.

2. The combination recited in claim 1 in which each of said tensile connections between the ends of said lower drum and the adjacent Schnabel vehicle structural means includes a yolk carried by one of said members, a lug carried by the other of said members, and

. a pin interconnecting said lug and said yolk.

3. The combination recited in claim 2 in which said yolk is carried by said Schnabel vehicle structural means and said lug is carried by the end of said lower drum.

4. The combination recited in claim 1 in which said upper drum includes an integrally formed abutment plate extending longitudinally from each end thereof, said abutment having an end surface for bearing engagement with said Schnabel vehicle structural means.

5. The combination recited in claim 4 in which each of said abutment plates has a sectional shape conforming generally to that of the wall of said upper drum, and wherein said abutment plates and the intermediate wall of said drum are disposed in mutual longitudinal alignment.

6. The combination recited in claim 5 in which the sectional shape of said upper drum wall is substantially circular and that of each of said abutment plates is arcuate and of substantially the same radial dimension as said drum wall. 

1. In combination, a Schnabel-type vehicle having separate, opposing wheeled bolsters and structural means upstanding from each of said bolsters for attaching a load therebetween and a vapor generator operably connected for road shipment between said structural means, said vapor generator comprising: a. an upper drum extending longitudinally between said Schnabel car structural means; b. at least one lower drum vertically spaced from said upper drum and extending longitudinally between said Schnabel car structural means; c. a plurality of parallel tubes interconnecting said upper drum and said lower drum defining a substantially closed furnace cavity; d. means forming a tensile connection between the ends of said lower drum and the adjacent Schnabel car structural means; and e. means forming a compressive engagement between the ends of said upper drum and the adjacent Schnabel car structural means.
 2. The combination recited in claim 1 in which each of said tensile connections between the ends of said lower drum and the adjacent Schnabel vehicle structural means includes a yolk carried by one of said members, a lug carried by the other of said members, and a pin interconnecting said lug and said yolk.
 3. The combination recited in claim 2 in which said yolk is carried by said Schnabel vehicle structural means and said lug is carried by the end of said lower drum.
 4. The combination recited in claim 1 in which said upper drum includes an integrally formed abutment plate extending longitudinally from each end thereof, said abutment having an end surface for bearing engagement with said Schnabel vehicle structural means.
 5. The combination recited in claim 4 in which each of said abutment plates has a sectional shape conforming generally to that of the wall of said upper drum, and wherein said abutment plates and the intermediate wall of said drum are disposed in mutual longitudinal alignment.
 6. The combination recited in claim 5 in which the sectional shape of said upper drum wall is substantially circular and that of each of said abutment plates is arcuate and of substantially the same radial dimension as said drum wall. 